Ministry of Information & Broadcasting
SPEAKERS TALKED ON ‘SCIENCE FOR ATMANIRBHAR BHARAT’ AT A WEBINAR
Kolkata, 16th December, 2020
India exported 11 lakhs 83 thousand tonnes of spices in 2018-2019 in comparison to 10 lakhs 28thousand and 60 tonnes in 2017-18. This was stated by Dr. Amit Krishna De, Advisor and Former Executive Secretary Indian Science Congress Association  at a webinar titled ‘Science for Atmanirbhar Bharat’ organised by Press Information Bureau, Kolkata and Field Outreach Bureau, Chuchura.
He said that spices are the real treasure of our country and from the ancient time the invaders from all over the world attacked us to get a slice from this spice bowl. Dr. De explained how spices play a significant role in our daily life. Dr. De informed that Spices Board of India promotes export of 52 spices shown in the schedule of the Act. He said that spices are not only used for our daily cooking purpose but it has vast application in pharmaceuticals, cosmetics, preservation of food, pesticides for agriculture, insecticides and various types of home remedies. It acts as anti-oxidant, anti-inflammatory and anti-microbial medicines. According to him India is one of the major exporters of spice and due to its traditional way of cooking there is a huge domestic consumption, hence it can play a significant role in fulfilling the dream of Atmanirbhar Bharat as propagated by our Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi. In covid situation also these spices have played a major role as immunity booster he added.
Speaking on the occasion an eminent Atmospheric Scientist and Asst. Professor of IIT, Mandi Dr. Sayantan Sarkar said that air pollution is one of the major causes of environmental pollution in this country. He said that in our country 12 lakhs people die every year due to air pollution, among them 7 lakhs succumb to outdoor air pollution and 5 lakhs to indoor pollution. Dr. Sarkar informed that in this year’s budget acknowledging that air pollution is a major concern, government has allocated Rs.4,400 crore to encourage states to formulate comprehensive plans for ensuring clean air. This National Clean Air Programme  is a long-term, time-bound, national level strategy to tackle the air pollution problem across the country in a comprehensive manner with targets to achieve 20% to 30% reduction in Particulate Matter concentrations by 2024 keeping 2017 as the base year for the comparison of concentration. Under NCAP, 122 non-attainment cities have been identified across the country based on the Air Quality data from 2014-2018. He shared his experience his visit to Arctic region a researcher on atmosphere. He said that that in atmospheric science research India has made a significant headway and have become self-sufficient.
Shri Gautam Seal,Technical Officer, Birla Industrial and Technological Museum, Kolkata said that their objective is to popularize science and technology in cities, urban and rural areas for the benefit of students and for the common people by organizing exhibitions, seminars, popular lectures, science camps and various other programs. He also said that their aim is to supplement science education given in schools and colleges and to organize various out-of-school educational activities to foster a spirit of scientific inquiry and creativity among the students. Apart from that another objective is to organize training programs for science teachers, students, young entrepreneurs, technicians and others on specific subjects of science, technology and industry.
Summing up the webinar the Principal Director General of Information and Broadcasting Ministry, Eastern Region Shri R.N. Mishra said that government has taken numbers of initiatives to take forward the dream of Atmanirbhar Bharat. in this context he talked about the application of science in innovation of unique products and services. He said how the new education policy can play a major role in creating human resource in the country.
At the beginning Smt. Jane Namchu, Addl.Director General, PIB and ROB, Kolkata welcomed the guests and talked about the necessity of organizing such webinar.